50 years of marriage & a lifetime of writing
By Brinda F. Willis, Ph.D.
JA Contributing Writer
At age 71, Barbara Jean Johnson is reflecting on 50 years of marriage to a wonderful man, Norman R. Johnson, and on a writing career that began when she was age 9.
“Norman and I met when I was attending Draughons Business School just off the Jackson State University campus and living at Mrs. Roman’s rooming house. I was 19 years old and straight off the Elam Family farm in Vaughan, Mississippi. Norman was 24, attending JSU, and had served in the Air Force. He was a dapper dresser with a long Maxie Coat, wore Stacy Adams shoes, a turtleneck sweater, and had lived in the big city of Chicago. We dated for two years and got married on May 8, 1976, by two preachers…one was my preacher, and the other his pastor. We were married at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Vaughn, Mississippi. Norman was from the famous town of Mound Bayou. I promised that I would only get married once, and I’m still here. We’ve followed biblical principles that have helped us stay married for 50 years,” she said.
After graduation from college, Barbara Jean and Norman worked for and retired from federal government jobs.
While Norman spent his leisure time watching football, studying history, collecting Civil War memorabilia, and telling stories about Mound Bayou, Barbara Jean was sketching, writing, and reflecting on the farm that she grew up on and her large family.
Barbara Jean also authored several books. She writes fiction tinged with nonfiction facts, psychology, and storylines that give the characters a familiar tone that people can relate to easily. She states, “I started writing at about 9 years old. The first novel I wrote was A Mississippi Family, and my favorite is After the Flames Have Cooled, a historical romance and deep South family saga published in October 2025 by Austin Macauley Publishers.”
Barbara Jean attributes the aftermath of slavery as the inspiration for much of her writing. Growing up on a sharecropping farm in Vaughan, Mississippi, gave her plenty of fuel for her writing because of the stories she heard as a child and young adult. These experiences influenced her life and shaped how she perceives the world and the social hierarchy in the South.”
The Johnsons have two children, Alphonso and Christina.
They celebrated their 50th Anniversary in Hollywood, Florida, on May 6, 2026, and will return to Key West on May 10, where they spent their honeymoon in 1976.
The Johnsons now live in Ocala, Florida, enjoying their many accomplishments, each other, and several grandchildren. Mrs. Johnson says “Faith in God and prayer” has kept her and Norman married for 50 years.
